Michael Phelps
Blue hat
White t-shirt
Pipe
News of the World
Blue Cup
This picture is pretty shocking. Michael Phelps, who just won many gold medals at the Olympics, was recently caught smoking a pipe as shown above. Phelps has been suspended by USA Swimming for 3 months. This just shows what one picture can do. Phelps is a hero and role model for swimmers across the US and even children. By participating in drugs, he is setting a bad example. However, I have to admit, Phelps is 23. I am sure 23 year olds still want to be able to experiment and have fun without getting penalized by the media. I do not believe Phelps meant harm but was trying to blow off steam and someone happened to have a digital camera. This just shows how little privacy we have anymore.
In terms of composition, my eye is drawn to the orange pipe and then, oddly enough, to his watch. I almost find a metaphor in this. As the eye travels from the pipe to the watch, it could signify pipe smoking was a waste of time or perhaps a pivotal mistake for that one moment in time.
I think it's interesting that, as your analysis demonstrates, even shots taken with a small digital camera or a phone still have compositions that carry symbolic meanings (whether the photographer intended them or not).
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